Nadia Abdala was named the head women’s tennis coach at the University of San Diego (USD) after serving 8 years as the assistant coach. She has made an immediate impact as the head coach helping the team jump to another level of competitiveness amongst the best teams in the nation. In this podcast Nadia discusses how she managed her relationships with her players during the transition from assistant coach to head coach, her passion to help women in coaching, and her new favorite drill....
Feb 27, 2024•35 min•Season 5Ep. 9
Dave Mullins is the current Chief Operating Officer with the ITA and has served in this role since 2019. Before joining the ITA, Dave spent 12 years as a coach in college tennis, last serving as the head women's tennis coach at the University of Oklahoma. Dave also spent time in college tennis as a player, competing for Fresno State where he would earn All-American honors. In this podcast, Dave & Lauren Conching discuss the questions coaches submitted, covering everything from WTN to managin...
Jan 30, 2024•59 min•Season 5Ep. 8
Andres Pedroso is in his second stint with the University of Virginia after serving as the Associate Head Men’s coach from 2010 – 2014. He was named the Head Men’s Coach in 2017 and in his short career as a head coach, he has won back-to-back NCAA National Team Championships in 2022 and 2023. He is a three-time ACC Coach of the Year, three-time ITA Atlantic Region Head Coach of the Year, and was twice named the ITA National Coach of the Year In this podcast, Dave inquires about Andre’s fascinati...
Jan 17, 2024•50 min•Season 5Ep. 7
Dan Oosterhous was named the Athletic Director for Recruiting at the Air Force Academy this past summer after 14 years as the head men’s tennis coach. Dan achieved the rank of Lieutenant Colonel in the Air Force after serving in multiple combat-support overseas deployments. In 2013 he suffered two brain stem strokes but recovered to compete as a member of the 2014 and 2016 USA Invictus Games team and continue his coaching career. Dan has served his country, the Air Force Academy, and college ten...
Dec 19, 2023•46 min•Season 5Ep. 6
Tara Collingwood is a renowned Sports Dietician, author and TV personality. She has served as the Dietician for the Orlando Magic, UCF Athletics, the WWE and the USTA. She is a performance coach at the prestigious Johnson & Johnson Performance Institute where she teaches executives how to manage their energy. In this podcast she discusses how coaches can improve their own energy levels, stay healthy throughout the long dual match season, how to speak with athletes about their dietary habits ...
Nov 28, 2023•47 min•Season 5Ep. 5
John Shackelford served 33 seasons as the head men’s tennis coach and three seasons as Director of Tennis at the University of the South - Sewanee. During his tenure, he won 551 matches and 12 conference titles. In 2021 he was named as the Director of Athletics and continues to serve the Sewanee community, coaches and student-athletes. In this podcast, John and Dave discuss John’s commitment to one University over 38 years, how John found ways to develop as a coach, the challenges of sustaining ...
Oct 31, 2023•38 min•Season 5Ep. 4
Mark Booras, the head men’s tennis coach at Tulane University for the past 14 seasons, received some devastating personal health news during the 2023 spring season taking him away from his team, his family, and everything else in his life for several months. In this podcast, we discuss Mark’s journey over the last several months, his recovery from a heart transplant to date, and his hopes for the future. Mark also shares some advice on the necessary skills the current college tennis coach needs ...
Sep 26, 2023•1 hr 10 min•Season 5Ep. 4
In this podcast, Liz and Dave talk about the lessons Liz has learned over her four decades coaching college tennis; the differences between coaching at each of the three NCAA divisions; advice for young women interested in becoming a college tennis coach; and how she balanced the demands of coaching and raising a family.
Aug 29, 2023•35 min•Season 5Ep. 3
Geoff Russell worked for the USTA Player Development department for 13 years. During his time at USTA PD he worked with many of the top players and coaches in the world. Geoff is a leader in sports performance and data analysis. He leverages innovative solutions in optical data, visions, and wearable technologies to provide objective, measurable, feedback around development areas of focus. He is now working as a consultant for a number of college tennis teams, helping them to maximize their use ...
Aug 29, 2023•34 min•Season 5Ep. 1
Peter Smith was inducted into the ITA Men’s Hall of Fame this past May. Some of his career highlights include a 639-232 overall record; 5 NCAA Team Championships during his tenure at USC; a two-time ITA DI Coach of the Year recipient while also being the only coach to date to lead four different men’s programs to national top-25 rankings – Long Beach State, Fresno State, Pepperdine, USC. We cover a lot of ground in this podcast including some wonderful stories from Peter’s tenure as a college co...
Jul 25, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 1
Dr. Jaco Keyser is the head women’s tennis coach at the University of South Alabama. He is also a professor at the South Alabama business school and the host of The Rest of Us Podcast . Jaco just completed his 21st year as a head coach but also served some time as the men’s assistant coach at South Alabama. In this podcast we discuss his transition from the men’s game to the women's game; how he manages his very busy schedule; his passion for promoting college tennis to a larger audience and muc...
Jun 30, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 14
Ryan Kucera is the head women’s tennis coach at UW-Milwaukee. He started his coaching career right out of college as the head women’s coach at DII Minnesota State. Within one year he had turned the program around with several players breaking school records and receiving conference coach of the year honors. In May of 2022, despite his young age, UW Milwaukee offered him an interview for their head coaching role, which he aced and was ultimately offered the position. Ryan just wrapped up his firs...
Jun 09, 2023•1 hr 3 min•Season 4Ep. 13
Dr. Tim Baghurst is a Professor of Education and the Director of FSU Coach at Florida State University. He earned his doctorate in kinesiology from the University of Arkansas and has three additional graduate degrees achieved in three different countries. His research focuses on coaching education and development with an emphasis on coach health and well-being. In this podcast, we discuss a wide range of topics from coach mental health to the team integration of international student-athletes. T...
Jun 07, 2023•51 min•Season 4Ep. 12
If you have not already picked up a copy of Legendary Kentucky Coach, Dennis Emery’s new book, Serving Up Winners: 10 Steps to Building your Program, I recommend you do so as soon as possible. In this podcast we discuss the traits of the most successful coaches, marketing yourself and your program, sustaining success over a long period of time, and the current state of Division I college athletics.
Apr 28, 2023•44 min•Season 4Ep. 11
Josh Molino, the head men’s tennis coach at Kansas Wesleyan, has spent the last five seasons laying the foundations for long-term success in the classroom, on the courts and in the Salina Community. In this podcast, we discuss the impact Josh’s exposure to some of the best coaches and players in the world at a very early age had on his path to becoming a coach; why coaches should find time to volunteer their expertise; some fundraising strategies plus a whole lot more.
Apr 28, 2023•35 hr 16 min•Season 4Ep. 10
Jamea Jackson is in her first season as the head women’s tennis coach at Princeton. Jamea turned pro at age 16 reaching a career WTA high of No. 43. After just six years she had to call an end to her professional career and reimagine her future career plans. Her first coaching opportunity landed her at Oklahoma State from 2009 – 2013 where she combined her coaching duties with her work on an undergraduate degree. She then served as National Coach for the USTA Player Development department for ni...
Mar 28, 2023•50 min•Season 4Ep. 9
Joe Gilbert is the founder of JMG Tennis Academy, located in Sacramento, California. He is the only coach in the country to win the “Development Coach of the Year” award twice, awarded to him by the United States Olympic Committee in 2013 and 2018. He has helped to develop numerous top junior, college, and professional tennis players over the last 15 years. In this podcast, we discuss some mistakes coaches make in the recruiting process; how college coaches can facilitate a smoother transition f...
Mar 16, 2023•1 hr 23 min•Season 4Ep. 8
Davidson Kozlowski is in his 11th year leading the men's tennis program at Drake University. During his time at Drake, he has been named the conference coach of the year on six occasions while qualifying his teams for seven NCAA tournaments. He has also helped the program to its highest ITA National Ranking of #16. Davidson served as the men's assistant coach at UAB prior to arriving in Des Moines, Iowa. In this podcast we discuss why he left his forever home in Alabama for Iowa; his approach to...
Feb 28, 2023•1 hr 4 min•Season 4Ep. 7
Dr. Timothy Russell is the President and CEO of the ITA. He spent three decades as a distinguished educator at Arizona State, The Ohio State University and the University of Rochester. He became well-known in the tennis world for his tireless work and leadership as a long-time USTA Volunteer. Due to his extensive contributions to the tennis world, he has been inducted into the ITA Men’s Collegiate Hall of Fame, the USTA Southwest Hall of Fame, and the USTA Central Arizona Hall of Fame. Tim has l...
Feb 08, 2023•56 min•Season 4Ep. 6
Billy Porter is the Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Southwestern University and has seen significant success and steady improvement in both programs since his arrival in 2013, including an NCAA Elite 8 appearance for the women's team and an NCAA Sweet 16 appearance for the men's team in 2021. In this podcast, Billy discusses the differences and similarities he sees in coaching men and women and how he's adapted his coaching style to be most effective with both teams. He also shares his id...
Jan 17, 2023•53 min•Season 4Ep. 5
Simon Earnshaw, the head women’s tennis coach at NC State, won nine NCAA Division II National Championships while serving as the head coach at Armstrong Atlantic. In 2014 he took over the reins at NC State and has helped the program to multiple program firsts including a run to the Final Four in 2021 and an NCAA Division I Doubles Title in 2022. In this podcast, Simon shares what he learned during his early days of coaching at the Nick Bolleteiri Tennis Academy; some of his keys to consistent su...
Dec 13, 2022•1 hr 14 min•Season 4Ep. 4
Justin DeSanto has taken what many would consider to be an untraditional path to becoming a Division I Head Coach. In June of 2021, he was named the Head Men's Tennis Coach at the University of Alabama Birmingham (UAB), his first head Coaching job, after having worked his way up from a Volunteer coach with the Yale women's team to an Assistant Coach at NCAA Division III powerhouse Williams College followed by five seasons as an Assistant for the Wichita State men's team. All of this with zero co...
Nov 09, 2022•43 min•Season 4Ep. 3
Olga Harvey spent nearly 20 years in the corporate world before joining the Women Sports Foundation in 2017 as the Chief Strategy and Impact Officer, where she made an immediate impact on the sports world. Olga is passionate about the transformational power of sports and play equity on and off the court. In this podcast we discuss Olga's incredibly interesting story of how she came to the United States from Russia and her path from graduation from Cornell University to where she is today at the ...
Oct 11, 2022•33 min•Season 4Ep. 2
As we approach the HBCU National Tennis Championship, host Danielle McNamara sits down with Alan Green, the Director of Tennis and Head Men's and Women's Tennis Coach at Xavier University of Louisiana, who led both his men's and women's teams to the 2021 HBCU National Tennis Champ title. Green is entering his 20th season leading the Xavier programs and is an alumnus of the University himself. A New Orleans native, Green is a three-time ITA/NAIA National Coach of the Year. In this podcast, Green ...
Sep 13, 2022•35 min•Season 4Ep. 1
You probably know Dave best as the current COO of the ITA but he was also a very successful college tennis player at Fresno State and then a long-time college tennis coach at DePaul, Northwestern, and the University of Oklahoma before turning to more administrative roles in the world of tennis. In this episode we hear about Dave’s perspective and opinions on important issues like the format of college tennis, college tennis being televised and streamed, his advice to newer coaches starting out i...
Jun 14, 2022•55 min•Season 3Ep. 32
Adam Schaecterle recently completed his fourth season as the head men’s coach at Pepperdine University. He has helped reestablish Pepperdine as an annual contender for West Coast Conference titles and a team capable of mixing it up with the best teams in the country. In this podcast we discuss Adam’s first job with Wilson Sporting Goods after graduating from Northwestern University and what he learned in that role; his decision to move on to a head coaching role after just short stint as an assi...
May 31, 2022•53 min•Season 3Ep. 30
Todd Wojtkowski is wrapping up his 14th season as the head men’s coach at Case Western Reserve University. His team is enjoying one of the best seasons in program history, winning the ITA Division III Men’s National Indoor Championships earlier this spring and currently sit at # 2 in the ITA Division III team rankings. In this podcast we discuss his transition from coaching one gender at the NCAA Division I level to coaching two genders at Division III; his approach to managing large roster size...
May 17, 2022•50 min•Season 3Ep. 29
Audra Cohen, the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Oklahoma, is no stranger to winning. In her freshman year at Northwestern, she won 51 singles matches. The following year she won an NCAA singles title at the University of Miami. She reached a career-high of #229 on the WTA tour before joining the college coaching ranks as an assistant coach at the University of Wisconsin. She took over the head coaching responsibilities at North Florida in 2011, where she was named a three-time At...
May 02, 2022•49 min•Season 1Ep. 28
If you thought trying to win a dual match was a pressure-filled environment, try negotiating and drafting billion-dollar deals. That is exactly what today’s guest was doing before joining the college coaching ranks. Ryan Ruzziconi is the head women’s tennis coach at Saginaw Valley State University. He gave up his career in the legal profession to pursue his true passion for coaching tennis which he has done at all levels of the game. In this podcast we discuss what skills Ryan has brought from h...
Apr 04, 2022•41 min•Season 3Ep. 14
Alison Ojeda is currently the Head Women’s Tennis Coach at the University of Tennessee, where she was also a standout player. Her coaching career to date includes assistant coaching roles at Texas A & M, Alabama, and Baylor and a 5-year head coaching role at Middle Tennessee State University. Alison shares how she was a better assistant coach the second time around at Baylor and also a better head coach the second time around at the University of Tennessee; how her coaching style has changed...
Mar 15, 2022•38 min•Season 3Ep. 13
